Reports say 48-year-old Robert Seman, a defendant in a rape and triple murder case in Youngstown, Ohio, committed suicide Monday. According to the Associated Press, Seman jumped off the fourth floor of the courthouse where his Trial was to be held, plummeting several feet to his death. In a video captured by the courthouse camera, Seman is seen walking with two Police officers- one in front, and the other directly behind him. Catching the officers by surprise, he sidesteps right and then jumps over the balcony railing. The alarmed officers check over the railing first, presumably to verify his death on impact.
Then the officers run downstairs as other officials come out of neighboring rooms in the hallway.
Seman was initially accused of repeatedly raping child over several years
Youngstown Sheriff Jerry Greene reportedly told correspondents the man was "in pretty good spirits" before committing suicide, prompting questions as to what led him to take his own life. Sources indicate that, if convicted, Seman could have possibly faced the death penalty for the murders of a 10-year-old girl and her grandparents- aged 63 and 61. Interestingly, the child was the daughter of Seman's girlfriend at the time. Sources claim the girlfriend- a Lynn Schmidt- had accused the defendant of repeatedly raping her daughter well before any arrests were made- as early as March 2015.
Schmidt and child moved in with her parents for a brief time, but eventually returned to Seman's home. Seman has arrested on rape charges shortly after, and the fire that he was later accused of setting to kill the three individuals coincidentally occurred the same day as his proposed rape trial. The charges for attempted murder were added to Seman's docket after authorities claimed they found burns on his body indicating recent exposure to fire.
The evidence against the defendant was hard to overlook
According to Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Cantalamessa of Mahoning County, Seman was well aware of the fact that the odds were against him in his upcoming trial. She also said that several witnesses participating in the trial didn't understand why the 48-year-old wasn't just entering a guilty plea.
Speculators suggest the guilt of his actions may have finally pushed him over the top.
Reports indicate that the fire marshal found the three bodies of the deceased on the second floor, and their positions implied they had tried to escape the house. Lynn Schmidt- now without parents or child, was devastated as she left the courtroom following today's events.
